Nutcracker



0. SMITH.

NUTCRACKER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-4| I919.

v Patented June 29, 1920.

A? ,2 f 1 g C y/a 16 117276 CLYDE sivrrrn, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

NUTCRAGKER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentgd June 29, 192() Application filed October 4, 1919.. Serial No. 328,361.

T all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, CLYDESMITH, a citizen of'the United'States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Nutcrackers, of which "the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved nut cracker, and an object of the invention. resides in a very simple, efficient and practical device of this kind including a stationary member and a reciprocable movable member with guide connections therebetween, whereby various nuts may becracked or broken between the jaws of the stationary and the re'ciprocable'movable members, when a rotating element (which connects between the two members) is operated.

Another object of the invention consists in the provision of a device of this kind,

":which has'been found practical and efficient,

particularly in view of the fact that the construction is such that the device can be manufactured for a relatively low cost and sold at a reasonable profit, and furthermore in view of the fact that the cracking or breaking of nuts may be facilitated.

The invention aims as a further objectto provide a device of this kind which is durable and consists of very few parts, and

which parts may be easily and quickly as-,

sembled and furthermore, to provide the rotating or'operating element with such improved connections with the stationary and reciprocable members, as to operate said members toward each other with suitable force and pressure, whereby it is possible to break or crack the hardest of nuts.

A. still further object of the invention is to provide a nut cracker including means for detachably clamping the same on the edge of a table or other support, in order to hold it firm and in a stationary position.

While the design and construction at present illustrated and set forth is deemed preferable, it is obvious that as a result of a reduction of the invention to a more practical form for commercial purposes, the invention may be susceptible to changes, and the right to these changes is claimed, provided they are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts as will be hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved nut cracker clamped to an edge portion of a table or other support.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the same.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the. cracking aws of the stationary andreciprocable members.

Flg. 4 1s a vlew 1n side elevation of the opposite side of the nut cracker to that shown in Fig. 1. v

. Referring more especially to the drawings, 1 designates an upright provided with upper and lower jaws 2 and 3. These jaws 2 and 3 straddle the edge portion of the table or other stationary support as indicated at 1. The screw 5 is provided and has on one end a handpiece 6 and on "its opposite or upper end a clamping plate 7 is swiveled.

. It will be noted that by adjusting the screw upwardly through the aw 3,- into which the screw is threaded, the clamping plate will engage the under face of the table or other support, and draw the clamping jaw 2 closely and firmly in contact with the other face of the table or other support 4, thereby holding the upright stationary and firmly relative to the table or other support.

Formed integral with the upper end of the upright 1, which may be any suitable shape, construction or configuration is a cylindrical stationary body 8 provided with guides 9. This stationary body 8 includes a stationary nut cracking jaw 10 provided with a cavity 11 (which may be any configuration or of a shape to receive different sizes and forms of nuts.) The stationary body 8 has a bore 12 provided with interior right hand threads 13. A reciprocable movable member 14c is provided and has a nut cracking jaw 15, which is supplied with a depression 16 similar in construction to the depression or recess 11, so that various shapes of nuts may engage between the two depressions, when the jaws are brought together, whereby the nuts may be cracked. The reciprocable movable member 14 has a laterally extending tubular extension 17, the exterior surface of which is provided with left hand threads 18. The reciprocable movable member lt has fixedly attached thereto in any suitable manner as at 19 a.

pair of guide pins 20, which engage the guides 9 of the stationary body or memher 8. A rotating tubular element 21 is provided, and which has one end closed as at 22, and its other end open. This rotat ing tubular element has exterior and in terior right and left hand threads 23 and 24k, the former of which engage the interior threads 13 of the stationary body or memher 8, while the latter of which engage the exterior threads 18 of the tubular extension 17 of the reciprocable movable member 14.

The closed end 22 of the rotating element is provided with an angular opening 25, to be engaged by a correspondingly shaped lateral projection 26 of crank 27, which provided with a handle 28. In the operation of the device, the crank by grasping the handle 28 is rotated, the lateral lug or pro jection 26 having first been inserted in the angular opening of the rotating element 21. The rotating element 21 is revolved, so that the reciprocable movable member may separate from the stationary body or member 8, sufficiently to permit a nut to be cracked to be placed between the jaws 10 and in engagement with the recess or depressions l1 and 16. The crank their operated in the opposite direction, torotate the rotating element 21, in order to bring the reciprocable member 24 toward the stationary body or member 8. iihen the reciprocable movable jaw is brought toward the stationary jaw, by

virtue of the rotating element being operated as heretofore stated, the nut will very easily and quickly crack. It is obvious that the reciprocable movable jaw can be moved toward the stationary jaw gradually, so that the nut can be easily cracked sufliciently to permit the meat to be removed, and without crushing the nut too much, or without crushing the meat.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and useful is:

In a nut cracker, the combination with a relatively fixed member and a relatively reciprocable movable member, the latter engaging through the former, said members respectively having nut cracking jaws, the adjacent "faces of which having opposed nut engaging depressions, the fixed member havin 'uide evenin s )arallel uide a w 1 b pro ections carried by the other member and engaging through said opening to guide the reciprocable movable member in alinement with the fixed member, of a rotating sleeve extending through the fixed member and operatively connecting the walls of the fixed and movable members, whereby upon moving the sleeve in one direction or the other, the movable member may reciprocate toward and from the fixed member, and a crank detachably engaging in fixed relation with said sleeve for rotating the'same.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

CLYDE SMITH. 

